Dr Pickering has lost his way - Mandinka M. Crabbe
He was speaking at the conclusion of a meeting of concerned contractors who felt the need to voice their concerns regarding a number of issues which they felt needed addressing, chief amongst them the concern that the airport expansion works may very well go to a Chinese company to the detriment of local contractors.
The meeting took place last evening May 26, 2016 at the East End/Long Look Community Centre.
According to our sources, two companies made the final list on the airport runway extension project. They were China Communications Construction Company Ltd, and IDL Group, who merged with Sir Robert McAlpine Holdings and local partner ADC of the Virgin Islands.
The Chinese company has no local partner and it is expected that the Government of the Virgin Islands will seek its own funding for the project. Government also had given all companies the option of providing funding for the project in the design and build tender.
According to information received from our sources, China Communications Construction Company Ltd’s bid was approximately $154 Million and IDL Group, the Sir Robert McAlpine Holdings and local partner ADC bid, was reportedly $199 Million.
Minister must stand up for the people
“In life you must have the courage to stand up for your people...you must have the courage to stand up for what is right...you must have the courage to defend your people and to move forward,” Crabbe said.
He said the Minister should not turn his back on the community after all of these years that they stood up for him.
“Election after election, every four years we guarantee him a seat...his Long Look people stand up for him...it is time for him to stand up for us.”
According to Crabbe, the Minister used to be known to them as the ‘Freedom Fighter’. “But the Freedom Fighter has lost his way...we will always love Dr Pickering, but we want Dr Pickering to do the right thing...and if he fails to do the right thing we have to discipline him.”
We don't want to hear about the Chinese
Crabbe was adamant that Dr Pickering cannot come to the community and speak about foreign contractors coming into the territory. “We don’t want to hear nothing about the Chinese...they are not good for the country...everywhere the Chinese go it’s a problem, look at Antigua, the project there start out at one thing and now the cost tripled,” he stressed.
“We are asking for two things - justice and work for our people. We have a lot of hurt going on in Long Look. We have a lot of unemployment. He is the Minister of Labour and unemployment is high. We have the greenhouse where he could pay a little attention to, that could employ all those young boys off the block. He needs to put his focus back on us and stop fighting for things we don’t want him to fight for. We want him to start fighting for jobs for our people,” he said.
Crabbe said that the Minister needs to get back on course as he is off course in his actions as Minister. “Right now the economy is hurting and the people are hurting. When people are hurting it could lead to a riot,” he said.
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66 Responses to “Dr Pickering has lost his way - Mandinka M. Crabbe”
his position because that's what you doing. You need to get the country at heart and not your self. If you have the people at heart and the country then start by employing LOCAL.
Just the other day i read a news article wich said that the Chinese were selling plastic rice to Africa. It only got discovered when an increasing number of cases of stomach and abdominal problems kept happening they linked it to the rice. Which they found out w as plastic. Cheap prices and cheap labour is not always the best. You get what you pay for. Let's learn from the mistakes of others. No Chinese and their products please.
on the other side these Chinese companies do good work for cheap. we need to feel ashame of ourselves we dont have nothing to show in a land where we were always on top in the Caribbean for resources and tourism. We got a pier thank god and we desperately need a air port , i keep stressing long are the days when we look at down island people and call them island man... we are way worst than those same islands right now. Look at St.Kitts and St.Vincent air port and cruise industry.. so keep talking about you looking job to get a fat check for Mediocre work.
Wake up BVI we going no where fast both side of the table are crocked these just bigger scale ... we need a coalition..
Crabbe we got you back don’t mind them keep the fight up let us know when you need our help
Real people always check for real people
Tell thieving m.... go sit down don’t come back up east with his Pull sh*t , he already take care of his town people and his drug friends with the government money, m.... we don’t like you on the east $%^& u go and treat your family better
Dock we don't want a War with dinka that will never end, I know he to good
dock you keep playing around your key strong people u isn't ready for this thing, dock u moving like some one has you in a trap or what, your there joking around a serious man one of your key man a man who ain't afraid to spend stop there playing around
Moreover, the assumptions/rumors on the street is that the territory is still struggling from the 2007-2008 economic down turn/ recession and is experiencing cash flow and financial challenges. Additionally, the territory's debt to GDP ratio is spiraling upwards. Against this backdrop, my fellow Virgin Islanders, need and return on investment considered, have to decide if this additional debt load should be incurred at this time. Further, are there reasonable alternatives to meeting this transportation need?
Will spending hundreds of $MM to extend the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport automatically bring dirctl flights from the US, UK, Canada, SA or the Far East? My take away from my Airline Economics class is hazy but passenger load factor (PLF) comes to mind. Every take off and landing has a fix cost and no airline will either start a route or even continue a route if it cannot cover at least its fix cost. But the airline business is a profit making business with huge capital needs and razor thin profit so no airline will be content with breaking even. Each airline has a PLF requirement; ie, it has to consistently put paying customers butts in the seats to meet it. Just like ferries have to operate at a consistent load level or taxi drivers have to conistently get enough fares or hotels/guest houses/villas has to consistently put heads in the beds or bare boat charters putting boaters aboard to stay in business so too must airlines consistently put butts in the seats to stay airborne.
Scholol chiren are saying that the NDP caucus is split on going forward with this project at this juncture due to current financial problems. We need to forego personal self interest, legacy ....etc and put the national interest front and center. There are many needs but few dollars to fund those needs. Most governments and the BVI government is in this group do not have the resources to fund all their needs. Consequently, needs need to be prioritized. Thus, should running up the debt load to fund the airport extension be prioritized over other basic needs?
Give somebody else a chance all the time ayo gettin all, ayo wasn't talkin but now ayo aint gettin the so call big job ayo talkin. SHUT UP AYO UNGRATEFULL A**!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then again ayo won't know where to start with a job like dis.
The most distinguishing characteristic of modern runways, however, is the need for them to accept increasingly heavy aircraft slamming down upon them and taxiing on and off at many points along their length. Aircraft weighing over well over 100,000 pounds at landing are the norm rather than the exception at major international airports. To handle such incredible loads on a regular basis -- not to mention temperature extremes in many locations that can easily lead to "spalling" (surface erosion) if not accounted for in the materials used -- runways must be built with care and precision.